Lamp socket and lamp socket installation



Oct. 24, 1939. s. M. DEL CAMP LAMP SOCKET AND LAMP SOCKET INSTALLATION Filed Jan. 8, 1957 Sat ,z'qmM DeZL'am y zza%df d Patented Oct. 24, 1939 UNITED STATES LAMP socxnr AND YLAMP SOCKET msmrm'rron Scipione M. Del Camp,

Maywood, Ill., assignor to Cinch Manufacturing Corporation, Chicago,

Ill., a corporation of Illinois Application January 8, 1937, Serial No. 119,598

4 Claims.

My invention relates to lamp socket installations and to lamp sockets for the same.

Fig. 5 is a section taken along the line 5-5 of Fig. 1;

Fig; 6 is a section taken along the line 6-6 of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary section taken along the line 1-1 of Fig. 1.

An object of my invention is to provide a lamp socket of inexpensive construction which may be detachably secured to a panel in such a way that a circuit may be passed through a lamp bulb held by the socket without need for attaching any wire to the lamp socket proper. My preferred form of installation, asillustrated and described, is useful in dial illumination and in such other cases where it is impossible to remove a lamp bulb for replacing it, because with my improved construction the socket member assembly of the installation may be quickly and easily removed from the support, a lamp bulb replaced and the socket member assembly once more secured to the support without any interference or disturbance with the wiring.

Referring to my preferred form of installation as illustrated in the drawing, I have provided a metal tubular socket member I having an open front end to receive the base 2 of a lamp bulb 3 and a rear end provided with an aperture 4 through which extends a spring-actuated contact'member 5 adapted to engage in electrical connection with a central contact element 6 on the bottom surface of the lamp base 2. A metal attaching member I is secured to the socket member I and is in electrical connection with the socket member. The attaching member I has means for detachable engagement with a metal ring 8 which is in permanent assembly with a metal support 8. A disk support III of nonconducting material is disposed between the ring 8 and the support 9 for carrying the ring and insulating the ring from the support. A lead-in terminal II is in electrical connection with the ring 8. A metal grounding member I2, in electrical connection with the contact member 5, is assembled at the opposite end of the socket I from that holding the lamp bulb 3. "The grounding member I2, in my preferred form, has portions engaging the metal support 9 for completing a circuit through the lamp bulb.

Referring in more detail to my socket member, I have shown one which is adapted particularly for use with a single contact lamp of the type now almost universally used in automobile installations. It should be remembered, however, that my invention is not limited to this particular type of socket as changes and alterations may be made in the socket such, for example, as providing another way of completing the circuit from the contact member 6 of the lamp base to a lead-offmeans which would fall within the scope and spirit of my present invention.

My socket installation, as illustrated,.comprises a metal tube-like part I having, in my preferred form, bayonet slots I3 (Fig. 7) at one end adapted to receive lateral projections I4 of the lamp base for holding the lamp base in the socket member. A tubular rivet I5 extends through the aperture 4 of the other end of the member I having a head portion I6 disposed inside the member I and engaging the outside surface of an insulating washer I'I (Figs. 5 and 6). The washer II bears upon the material of the member I adjacent the aperture 4 and has an aperture I8 of less diameter than the aperture 4 of the member I whereby the barrel portion of the rivet member I5, which passes through the aperture I8 of the washer I1, is insulated from the member I. The outermost end of the rivet I5 is turned over to form a head portion I9 engaging the outside surface of a base portion 20 of the grounding member I2 in assembly with the socket member. As a result of my particular construction the grounding member I2 is in electrical connection with the rivet I5. An insulating washer 2| disposed between the base portion 20 of the grounding member and. the socket I serves to insulate the grounding member from the socket. It will be noticed that the insulating washers I1 and 2| and the base portion 20 of the grounding member are maintained in fixed assembly with the socket member between the head portions I6 and I9 at opposed ends of the rivet I5. Arm portions 22, integral with opposite sides of the base 20, extend from the base 20 in the direction of the lamp bulb for contact with the support 9. The free ends of the arms 22 may be bent inwardly toward each other, as most clearly shown in Figs. 3 and 5, for a reason which will be hereinafter described.

As a means for completing the circuit connection between the rivet l6 and the central contact 6 of the lamp base 2, I have provided an elongated metal contact member 6 having a barrel 23 mounted within the bore of the rivet I5 and adapted to slide longitudinally relative to the rivet (Figs. 5 and 6). The barrel 23 of the contact member 5 fits relatively tightly within the bore of the rivet l5 thereby providing a permanent electrical connection between the parts. A head portion 24 is provided at one end of the member '5 and disposed within the socket member for engagement with the contact 6 of the lamp base. A flared portion 25 is provided at the opposite end of the contact member from the head portion 24. The portion 25 is disposed outside the outer end of the rivet l5 and is of larger diameter than the bore of the rivet so as to abut the outer end of the rivet and thereby limit longitudinal movement of the contact member through the rivet when the lamp is disconnected from the socket member. A coil spring 26 (Figs. 5 and 6) surrounds the barrel of the contact member and is disposed between the head portion I6 01 the rivet and the head portion 24 of the contact member, as most clearly shown in Figs. 5 and 6. During connection of the lamp base 2 with the socket the contact member 5 is moved longitudinally so that the flared end of the contact member projects beyond the outer end of the rivet as shown in Figs. 3-7. At the same time the coil spring is contracted so as to maintain the head portion 24 of the contact member 5 in engagement with the contact 6 of the lamp base so long as the projections M of the lamp. base are in proper registration with the bayonet slots l3. The attaching member 1 is in the form of a metal collar having a portion pressfitted to the socket member and a flange 21 (Figs. 3-7). A plurality of resilient shouldered fingers 28 are formed integral with the flange and extend from beneath the flange, in my preferred form, in the form of an annular series for spring engagement through the metal ring 8, as most clearly shown in Fig. 7.

A preferred form of my support installation as illustrated consists of a metal support 9 having a relatively large circular aperture 29 therein. A supporting disk ID of insulating material is secured to the under side of the support 9 through an attaching means which may be rivets 38 (Fig. 6) extending through the support and the insulating disk. The insulating d sk ID has oppositely disposed apertures 3| disposed beneath the material of the support 9 adjacent the aperture 29, as most clearly shown in Fig. 5. An aperture 32 is formed in the insulating piece ill between the apertures 3| and beneath the aperture 29 of the support. The metal ring 8 is secured to the material of the insulating disk adjacent the aperture 32 and in final position provides a metal border around the aperture 32. The wiring terminal H is preferably formed integral with the ring 8 and extends from the ring 8 through the aperture 29 of the support to a position on the opposite side of the support from the disk I0. An aperture 33 may be formed in the terminal II for soldering a wire to the terminal.

y In attaching my socket assembly to the support the socket assembly is moved toward the support so that the arms 22' of the grounding member I2 extend through the apertures 3| of the insulating disk l0. During this action the fingers 28 of the attaching member I extendthrough the circular ring 8 defining a central aperture which is larger than thediameter of the socket member I but smaller in diameter than the circle in which lie the outside edges of the shouldered fingers 28. Pressure upon the socket assembly is continued until the flange 21, which is of larger diameter than the aperture defined by the ring 8, is pushed flush against the insulating disk Ill. The socket assembly is now held firmly to the support assembly through the spring action of the fingers 28. At the time the arms 22 of the grounding member |2 are extended through the apertures 3|, the inturned free end portions of the arms 22 engage the material of the support 9 adjacent the aperture 29 acting as a cam for contracting the arms during passage of the arms through the last-mentioned aperture. When the shouldered fingers 28 of the attaching member Tare in final snap fastener engagement. the arms 22 of the grounding member expand through natural resiliency of the grounding member to engage under spring tension the material of the support 9 adjacent the aperture 29. After my socket assembly is in attachment with the support assembly, electrical energy, introduced to the wiring terminal passes to the base '2 of the lamp .through the ring 8, the attaching member and the metal socket member Circuit through the lamp is completed through the contact member 5 in engagement with the contact 6 of the tube base, the rivet l5 and the grounding member l2.

-Various changesand alterations might be made in the general form and arrangement of parts described without departing from the invention. For that reason I do not wish to be limited by the preferred form of my invention illustrated and described, but shall consider myself at liberty to make such changes and alterations as fall within the scope of the following claims.

I claim:

1. A lamp socket installation comprising a metal support, a metal ring assembled with said sup port and insulated therefrom, a positive "wiring terminal in electrical connection with said ring, a metal tubular socket member having means at one end for receiving and holding a lamp base whereby said lamp base is'in electrical contact with said socket member, and said socket member having attaching means in detachable engagement with said metal ring whereby said socket member is detachably secured to said metal support and in electrical connection with said wiring terminal, and said socket member having a negative lead in electrical connection with said lamp and a conducting member for detachably grounding said negative lead to said metal support contemporaneously with the engagement of said attaching means with said metal ring whereby said socket member may be completely detached from said metal support without disturbing the wiring of said installation.

2. A lamp socket installation comprising a metal support having an aperture therethrough, a piece of insulating material secured to the lower side of said support and having an aperture diswith said socket member, and said socket member having attaching means in detachable engagement with said insulating piece through the metal ring thereof whereby-said socket member is detachably secured to said insulating piece and in electrical connection with said wiring terminal, and said socket member having a negative lead in electrical connection with said lamp, and a conducting member for detachably groundingsaid negativelead to said metal support contemporaneously with the engagement of said attaching means with said metal ring whereby said socket member may be detached from said insulating piece without disturbing the wiring or said installation.

3. A lamp socket installation comprising, in combination, a socket-supporting means including at least two metal members each of which may be connected to opposite sides of an electric circuit and an insulation member interposed between the two metal members, one of said metal members having a socket-receiving aperture, a lamp socket having a metal shell provided with snap fastener-like attaching means adapted to pass into said aperture and detachably engage v means, said lamp bulb and socket thereby being attachable and detachable as and for the purpose described.

4. A lamp socket installation comprising a metal support having an aperture therethrough, a piece of insulating material secured to the lower side of said support, said insulating material having a central aperture disposed beneath the aperture of said support, and at least one aperture spaced from said central aperture, a metal ring carried by said insulating piece, said ring disposed adjacent the central aperture of said insulating piece so as to rim said last-mentioned aperture, a wire-receiving terminal integral with said metal ring, a metal tubular socket member having a means at one end for receiving a lamp base, an attaching member secured to said socket member and in electrical connection therewith, said attaching member having means in engagement with said metal ring whereby said socket member is secured to said support, a contact member'having a portion within said socket member adapted for electrical contact with said lamp base for completing a circuit through said lamp, and a metal grounding member having a base portion secured at the other end of said socket member from the end of said socket member receiving said lamp, said base portion being in electrical connection with said contact member, said metal grounding member having at least one arm portion extending through said insulating piece for engagement with said metal support whereby said circuit is grounded to said support.

SCIPIONE M. DEL CAMP. 

